You've worked hard to get your website live, your Google Business Profile optimised, and your calls-to-action clear. Visitors are finding you. Some are even reaching out.
But here's the uncomfortable question: Do you actually know how many enquiries you received last week? Or where they came from?
If you can't answer that confidently, you're flying blind. You don't know which marketing efforts are working, which channels to invest more in, or whether your website is converting visitors at all. Without tracking, you're guessing—and guessing costs money.
The good news? You don't need expensive software or complex dashboards. You need a simple, reliable system that captures every enquiry, categorises the source, and gives you the data to make smart decisions.
This guide will show you exactly how to set up a basic lead tracking system in under 30 minutes—using tools you already have.
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What You'll Have When Done:
A functional "Lead Tracking Dashboard" spreadsheet template populated with your last five enquiries, showing you exactly where leads are coming from.
Time Needed: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner
Prerequisites:
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Jump to:
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This is the fastest path to functional lead tracking. You'll create a simple spreadsheet that captures the essential information you need to understand where your enquiries come from.
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Before You Start
Make sure you have:
Not sure if your contact forms are set up correctly or connecting smoothly? If the form fails, the lead is lost. NetNav's automated website audit checks all your critical conversion elements in 60 seconds.
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Step 1: Create Your Lead Log
Open Google Sheets or Excel and create a new file titled "[Your Business Name] Lead Log." Save it somewhere you can access quickly—ideally bookmarked in your browser or pinned to your desktop.
Step 2: Add the Five Essential Columns
Create these column headers:
That's it. Don't add more columns yet. These five capture everything you need to start making decisions.
Step 3: Connect Your Website Forms
Check that your website contact form sends you an email notification when someone submits it. If it doesn't, fix that now. Every form submission should trigger an immediate email to a dedicated address you check daily.
This builds on ensuring your CTAs are clear and functional, which we covered in Write CTAs That Actually Get Clicks.
Step 4: Log Your Last Three Leads
Think back to your last three enquiries—whether they came via email, phone, or form. Add them to your spreadsheet now. This establishes your baseline and helps you practice the logging habit.
Step 5: Make It Accessible
Put the link to this spreadsheet in your browser bookmarks bar, or create a desktop shortcut. The easier it is to access, the more likely you are to use it consistently.
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#[SUCCESS]
You've Succeeded When...
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✅ Completed the quick version? Move on to Simple Follow-Up System for Enquiries or continue below for the detailed walkthrough.
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Now let's build a more robust system that captures every enquiry automatically, tracks sources accurately, and gives you the data you need to scale what's working.
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Before you can track effectively, you need to know where enquiries can come from. For most micro-businesses, there are typically 4-6 main sources:
Digital sources:
Offline sources:
Write down your specific sources. Be realistic—if you're not actively using Instagram, don't add it to your list yet. Focus on the channels you're actually using.
For a deeper understanding of how to categorise and analyse these sources, see Track Where Your Leads Come From.
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Your website contact form is likely your highest-volume source. You need to ensure every submission is captured automatically.
Set up email notifications:
Most form builders (Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, Typeform, Google Forms) can send an email notification when someone submits. Configure this to send to a dedicated email address—ideally something like `leads@yourbusiness.com` or a Gmail address you check daily.
Create an email filter:
In Gmail or Outlook, create a filter that:
This ensures you never miss a form submission in your inbox.
Optional: Connect to a spreadsheet automatically
If you're using Google Forms, submissions automatically populate a Google Sheet. For other form builders, tools like Zapier (free tier available) can automatically add form submissions to your spreadsheet.
[MEDIA:SCREENSHOT:form-submission-email-alert]
Caption: Set up your contact form to notify a dedicated email address or create a filtered alert.
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Phone calls are harder to track than digital enquiries, but they're often your highest-value leads. Here's how to track them without expensive software.
Use Google Business Profile insights:
If you display your phone number on your Google Business Profile, Google tracks how many people click to call. Check your insights monthly to see call volume trends.
[MEDIA:SCREENSHOT:google-business-profile-call-tracking]
Caption: Leveraging Google Business Profile insights to track calls that originated from local search.
Assign unique numbers to different channels:
If you're running multiple marketing campaigns (Google Ads, Facebook, print advertising), consider using different phone numbers for each. Services like Google Voice (free) or low-cost virtual number providers let you set up multiple numbers that forward to your main line.
When someone calls, you'll know which number they dialled—and therefore which campaign drove the call.
Ask every caller: "How did you hear about us?"
The simplest method is often the best. Train yourself (and any staff) to ask this question on every call. Log the answer immediately in your spreadsheet.
The worst thing is thinking you're tracking leads only to find your forms broke last month. This is one of the essential technical checks NetNav runs automatically across your whole site to ensure lead flow remains uninterrupted. Run a check now to validate your form connections.
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You have two realistic options for micro-businesses: a spreadsheet or a simple free CRM.
Option 1: Spreadsheet (Best for <10 leads/month)
Pros:
Cons:
Best for: Solo operators, service businesses with low enquiry volume, anyone just starting to track.
Option 2: Simple Free CRM (Best for 10-30 leads/month)
Tools like HubSpot (free tier), Streak (Gmail plugin), or Trello (Kanban board) offer basic CRM functionality at no cost.
Pros:
Cons:
Best for: Growing businesses, teams of 2+, anyone who wants visual pipeline management.
For a detailed comparison and setup guide, see Simple CRM for Tiny Businesses.
[MEDIA:SCREENSHOT:simple-crm-lead-card]
Caption: Using a simple Kanban board (like Trello or a basic CRM pipeline) for visual lead management.
My recommendation: Start with a spreadsheet. Upgrade to a CRM only when you're consistently logging 10+ leads per month and the spreadsheet feels limiting.
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Now that you're capturing enquiries, you need to track the right data points. Don't overcomplicate this—focus on what actually helps you make decisions.
Essential data points:
Optional but valuable:
Calculate your Cost Per Lead:
Once you have a month of data, you can start calculating how much each lead costs you. If you spent £200 on Google Ads and received 10 enquiries, your cost per lead is £20.
This metric tells you which channels are cost-effective and which are too expensive. For the full calculation method, see Calculate Your Cost Per Lead and Cost Per Customer.
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Tracking enquiries is pointless if you don't respond to them promptly. Now that you're logging every lead, you need a standard for how quickly you'll respond.
Research shows:
Set your standard:
For detailed guidance on building response time into your workflow, see Set Your Response Time Standard.
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#[SUCCESS]
You've Succeeded When...
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🎉 Completed? You now know exactly where your leads come from, which is vital data for investment decisions. You're ready for Simple Follow-Up System for Enquiries.
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Common Problems and Fixes
Problem: I forget to log manual enquiries (calls/emails)
Fix: Set up a mandatory 10-minute "Lead Logging" habit at the start or end of your workday. Block it in your calendar. Treat it like any other business-critical task—because it is. Review your email inbox, call log, and any notes from the day, and ensure everything is logged before you finish work.
Problem: I don't know how to track where phone calls come from
Fix: Use a free call tracking service like Google Voice or assign different unique phone numbers to different marketing channels. For example, use one number on your Google Business Profile, a different one on your website, and another on printed materials. When someone calls, you'll know which number they dialled—and therefore which channel drove the call.
Alternatively, simply ask every caller: "How did you hear about us?" and log their answer immediately.
Problem: My simple CRM is too complicated to set up
Fix: Downgrade to the most basic tool—a simple spreadsheet with only 5 columns (Date, Name, Source, Status, Next Step). You don't need sophisticated software to track effectively. A spreadsheet you actually use is infinitely better than a CRM you never open.
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You're now tracking where your enquiries come from. The next critical step is ensuring you respond to them consistently and effectively.
Next Blueprint Step:
Simple Follow-Up System for Enquiries
Once you're tracking leads, you need a standardised process to nurture and respond to them. This guide shows you how to build a simple follow-up system that ensures no enquiry falls through the cracks.
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Map Your Lead Flow from Visitor to Customer
For the full guide on visualising the entire process a prospect takes from first click to final sale, see this deep dive.
Learn how to use the data you just collected to calculate how effective your website actually is at turning visitors into tracked leads.
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You've completed setting up your essential lead tracking system. Now you have the data you need to make decisions. NetNav can audit your entire site across 9 pillars in 60 seconds—see what else needs attention before you scale your marketing spend.
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[MEDIA:TEMPLATE:lead-tracking-spreadsheet-v1]
Caption: Simple Lead Log Template: Use these five columns to start tracking immediately.
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